It is often desired to carry one or two spare ammunition magazines for a firearm. In order to carry the magazine outside of the rifle, it must be carried on the person, as in a belt or other holder. When it is time to replace the magazine, the old magazine must be removed and a new magazine retrieved from its storage location, generally on an ammunition belt, before it can be inserted in place.
There are known multi-magazine holders, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,442, and devices for coupling two magazines to one another to enable a soldier to carry more ammunition in a readily available location on the firearm when a single magazine is not sufficient. These devices do not solve the problem of traveling with a magazine in a secure but available position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,465 describes a protective carrier for holding a loaded spare magazine in a position of readiness for immediate insertion into operative engagement with a firearm. A latch mechanism in the carrier simultaneously releases the spent magazine, permitting an empty magazine and a loaded spare magazine to be released together. This carrier does not solve the problem of traveling with a magazine in a secure but available position. In addition, the location of the protective carrier makes it difficult to reach various parts of the rifle on which it is mounted.
Accordingly, there is a long felt need for a carrier for a spare magazine which is flexible for mounting on a belt or pocket, and it would be very desirable to have such a magazine carrier which can be coupled to another similar carrier.